As I mentioned last week, my friend Elizabeth (of Bike Commuters) and I got together for a midday joyride recently. During lunch, I cycled to her office and then we set off together down the nearby Lakefront Trail.

A few miles later, we arrived at our arbitrary destination, the Field Museum.

We battled a fierce headwind on the way there and we were both a bit overheated from working so hard. I even took my sweater off, although it was not quite 60 degrees out.

Joyfully, we had a tailwind on the ride back, which didn’t feel like wind at all. I just felt naturally fast and strong. :)

The route was pretty muddy and watery, with all the blizzard snow quickly melting.

So what if I returned to the office a bit muddy with a run in my tights and tangled hair (bad, uncovered Betty Foy chain!) – I felt much more energized and productive the rest of the day.

Funny that no matter how much I cycle for transportation, I still love to joy ride, especially with a good friend. I never (okay, rarely) get tired of riding a bike.

After today’s snow, I will be resuming use of Oma and her studded tires for the foreseeable future. Betty Foy has been shoved back into storage, but I sure enjoyed the few days she and I spent together!

Someone asked me last week if I had any bikey Valentine’s Day plans with Mr. Dottie. I answered, “No, we’re just going to dinner at our favorite French restaurant, Bistrot Margot.”

Then I thought for a second and amended that answer with, “Well, of course, we’ll be riding our bikes there.”

Bicycling is such an ingrained part of our lives – it’s always there somewhere. But unlike driving or taking public transit, biking is not simply another mundane transportation option. It’s fun and adds something special to every occasion!

For this reason, I would say that our little French dinner was a bikey Valentine’s Day, with bicycling being the perfect aperitif (to stimulate the appetite) and digestif (to aid in digestion).

After whining about winter on Monday, I left my bike at home and took the L train to work two days in a row. That sounds ridiculous in hindsight – two days in a row – but I really needed a short break from winter biking. The trick to enjoying life on two wheels is not to make bicycling feel like an obligation. As such, on the rare occasions when I feel burned out, I back off. By this morning, I was champing at the bit to get back in the saddle (uh, too many mixed horse metaphors?).

Seriously, I simply threw on an extra layer of wool, wrapped a scarf around my face, tucked warming packs in my boots and mittens, and the ride was perfectly fine. Full outfit: tweed skirt, wool leggings, blouse, wool sweater, puffy down vest, wool socks, snow boots, hat, scarf, mittens, sunglasses. The biggest difference between today and any other Chicago winter day is that my sinuses got really dry.

The feeling of being back on my bike was exhilarating. I felt like myself again. You know how they say absence makes the heart grow fonder? That is certainly the case with me and my bikes, especially when the alternative is a slow and crowded L train (though that’s still way better than driving).

One weird thing about the ride was that my bike felt exaggeratedly slow and heavy, the pedaling like churning rich butter. By the time I arrived at work, my body was more fatigued than usual. Talking with Mr. Dottie later, I learned that he had the same experience this morning on his vintage Raleigh.

Does anyone know what would cause this? I have a few different theories: the arctic wind (doubtful because I’ve experienced stronger – but not as cold – Chicago wind without the same affect); the extreme cold did something weird with our bodies; the extreme cold did something weird with our cranks/gear hubs. Thoughts?

The women-who-bike brunch continues to grow each month, to my great delight. The fourth official brunch last Sunday was the biggest yet, with 20 women attending. This was after 6 people sent their condolences due to the inches of fresh falling snow that greeted us in the morning. Quite a few of us, including me, opted for public transportation due to the weather, but the important part was gathering together and talking with cool women, no matter how we traveled on that particular day.

By the time sunny spring rolls around, we’re going to change things up and start having pot luck picnics. We’ll have to: no restaurant will be able to contain us!

The brunch location: Ann Sather

Our table of 20

Martha and Chicargo Bike

Elizabeth

Danielle and Megan

Famous Ann Sather Cinnamon Rolls

After interesting, intelligent, silly and fun conversation and many huge cinnamon rolls, it was time to unlock our bikes, talk some more and eventually disperse until next month.

Megan unlocks her bike

More talking

Sara and Danielle (the latter 9 months pregnant and riding her Christiana Trike!)

I’m eagerly looking forward to the next brunch already. We’ll have to meet up for a happy hour in the meantime. :)

The End

The next women-who-bike brunch will take place on Sunday, March 6. If you would like to be on the email list for the time and location, please email me at LGRAB [at] letsgorideabike [dot] com. The more the merrier!

I also created a group on The Chainlink so we can more easily communicate among each other and continue spreading the word.

I’m still annoyed by winter, but I’ll think back to happier times: Friday, when I biked to work and then took a joyride to the lakefront during my lunch break.

This was two days post-blizzard. Access to the trail is through an underpass below Lakeshore Drive and this was the most difficult section to manage due to the snow, as only a narrow path was shoveled and not very well.

Once I emerged on the other side, the plowed bike path pleasantly surprised me. I biked a ways up and down the path just for fun, but it was slow going, mostly because I’m a baby when it comes to biking on packed snow, even with my studded tires, and always want to be able to put a foot down if necessary.

At this moment, I joined Lovely Bicycle in really wanting a Surly Pugsly for the massive snow tires. I also wondered if Coco would be better in this particular snow situation with her Fat Frank tires. I’ll have to take her for a spin in the alley this weekend for research.

It’s a good thing that my visit to the Lakefront Trail was only for fun and not for transportation. Although I commend the city for plowing the trail so quickly after the blizzard, clearing away all the snow would take a little more time.

For Chicagoans who want to use the trail for transportation in the winter, the Active Transportation Alliance posts regular updates of conditions on its blog, along with helpful pictures. You may also be able to find useful information on The Chainlink, a Chicago bicycling online community.

Is anyone relying on trails and bike paths to commute during the winter? If so, how are the conditions as far as upkeep and lighting?

I’ve hit the metaphorical wall with snow. I am so tired of biking in snow. On Sunday a couple of fresh inches fell on top of last week’s 20 inches. Yesterday I biked to work, as usual, and while the total lack of bike lanes (filled with more parked cars than snow now) was annoying, the morning commute was okay.

But the commute home was a bear. It was not supposed to snow yesterday evening! Not. Snow. No. More. Once I noticed the heavy flakes falling fast outside the office window, I actually got mad. Like, really mad. I took my anger out on poor Oma, yanking her around the snowbank where she was parked and cursing under my breath.

As I’ve mentioned many times before, I avoid riding in fresh falling snow because it’s never an enjoyable experience around city traffic. Yesterday’s snow, on top of the snow already piled high from last week’s blizzard, had me riding smack dab in the middle of the lane most of the way home. My visibility was limited by my glasses fogging up, but I needed them to block the windy snow.

In hindsight, the ride was not bad. The traffic was unusually light and slow; I always felt sturdy on my studded tires; and I worked off the office danish I thoughtlessly scarfed down earlier in the day. Unfortunately, I just had a bad attitude. I think this year’s wall-hitting is happening later in the season than during my previous two winters of bicycling. That’s progress, at least. Hopefully soon I’ll have something other than the weather to write about.

{Now it’s still snowing. I may take the L train today to avoid resenting my bicycle.}

For someone with a much better attitude about yesterday’s bike commute, check out one of my new favorite blogs, This Little Bike of Mine. S at Simply Bike also has a great post up about the best attitude with which to approach winter cycling.

Yesterday I posted pictures I took while playing in the blizzard and I mentioned my bike ride the day after the storm. Here is a detailed account of that ride and a look at the blizzard’s not-so-pretty aftermath.

After pulling Oma out of the garage and into the alley, I began doubting my decision to ride my bike one day after 20 inches of snow poured down on Chicago.

The condition of the first street I came upon did not increase my self-confidence.

However, I had a plan to take arterial streets that I usually avoid due to scary car traffic. I knew they would be plowed and a bit calmer than usual, and I was right.

Once I reached my destination, I just had to find a parking spot…

This bike called dibs way earlier. I’d say he earned it.

Luckily I found a bike rack that was not totally consumed by snow.

Once on foot, I realized that bicycling in the road was much easier than walking down un-shoveled sidewalks.

Well, except for streets like this one. The side streets still had a ridiculous amount of snow.

Want some?

Overall, the ride was a pretty low-key adventure. My intimate familiarity with the area, bicycling confidence and studded tires helped the situation. For sure, I was happy to return home at sunset, safe and sound and feeling a little bad ass.

Today I biked 10 miles roundtrip to work, plus a couple of miles during lunch, plus a few more miles tonight to see the Decemberists play a live show (so good!). The rides were more stressful and obstacle-course-like than usual, especially when some [censored] honked at me, but enjoyable nevertheless.

Luckily, all of these businesses had re-opened already. I opted to ride my bike, not from a sense of adventure, but because it made the most sense.

I wanted to get to a certain area and didn’t want to walk 3 miles roundtrip or deal with public transportation. The ride was fine. While the side streets are drowned in snow, the main routes have been plowed and cars were nice enough while going around me.

Commuting update: Yesterday I biked to work wearing a pinstripe pants suit with a white puffy down vest over the suit jacket and that kept me warm enough in 18 degrees, although I may have looked a little funny. Today I’m heading for the L train, as a blizzard is expected to start this afternoon and dump 1.5 feet on Chicago. Later!

My love for Chicago is largely based on bike-ability and access to culture. I try to take advantage of these as much as possible and, as a result, my favorite activity is cycling to see a play at the Shakespeare Theater at Navy Pier. This always makes for a lovely Saturday: 12 miles of bicycling, a stop at the bar for a bourbon, and an imaginative and original Shakespeare production.

On this particular Saturday, going to see As You Like It, the Chicago weather was on my side: a temperature of 32 degrees felt nice in comparison to usual winter temps. My outfit of jeggings (oh yes, I bought jeggings – and I love them!), long wool sweater, and tall boots kept me warm. I was able to ride along the Lakefront path most of the way, diverting to the inner Lakeshore Drive for the stretch that is not plowed.

It’s a good thing that we love to cycle to Navy Pier because getting there otherwise is a pain. Public transportation to the Pier is not direct, requiring two L trains and a trolley from my place, while parking is at least $25 for a couple of hours (not that I have a car to park).

Navy Pier during the winter has an isolated and slightly Kafkaesque mood that I love.

That’s why I love going to the Shakespeare Theater so much. Not only for the excellent productions, but for the time spent cycling there and back along the car-free Lakefront, as well as the time meandering down the Pier – a combination of my favorite parts of Chicago.

I have a long history of cycling to the Shakespeare Theater, which you can read about in the following posts:

On a winter night, cycling along Chicago’s Lakefront Trail feels like embarking on a strange expedition, a la Labyrinth. Some areas are totally blocked off due to overwhelming ice accumulation, forcing bikes onto nearby dirt paths or streets; some areas have massive chunks of pavement missing, pulled out by the force of lake waves; some areas are especially dark and foggy, eerie as you look out to the blackness of the horizon. If I listen to David Bowie on my iPod as I ride along, the only effects missing are grotesque muppets with British accents.

During my first winter cycling, I rode the Lakefront Trail nearly every night. Last winter, with a new office further from the lake, I used the trail much less. This winter, yesterday’s ride was only my second time commuting along the trail. Nowadays, taking relatively quiet secondary streets that go straight home is a more attractive proposition than the out-of-the-way trail.

But sometimes the car-free environment, along with the moody mood, is too much to resist, even when the ride takes twice as long.

That’s when I cycle the Lakefront and I always enjoy the distinctive experience.

Because of the icy weather, I have not been riding Coco, my Velorbis Studine Balloon, as much as I desperately want to, choosing instead my studded-tire bike. I can count the substantial rides I’ve taken with her on one hand – not enough for a real review, but enough to talk a bit here and there as I get to know her better.

After my first work commute with Coco a couple of weeks ago, I talked about her ride. In that post, I mentioned how Coco’s geometry is different from Oma’s, even though the two look like similar style bikes. The photos below demonstrate how Coco’s distinctive geometry affects my riding position.

As you can see, my hips and legs are aligned almost straight down, while my torso is slightly leaned forward. My posture is straight, but not totally upright. You can compare to my positioning on Oma here.

I thought this geometry difference would cause my legs to work more, but thus far I have not noticed a difference in the amount of energy required for pedaling. If anything, Coco may be a bit swifter, although I’m still trying to determine if that’s all in my head.

The geometry does make slight differences to the details of my ride. For example, starting from a stoplight is easier. My foot on the raised pedal simply goes straight down to propel the bike forward; I don’t have to simultaneously push down and forward on the pedal while my other foot pushes off the ground. Another detail is that I can stand up on the pedals for a boost of energy, which I cannot do on Oma. Also, good posture is easy to maintain; I don’t have to keep telling myself to sit up straight and roll my shoulders back as I do when riding Oma.

These subtle differences are hard to describe, but they make riding the two bikes not as similar as some may assume.

I do realize I’m firmly in the “splitting hairs” territory that EcoVelo recently wrote about. To me, at least, Coco and Oma are like apples and oranges. :)

I did it! I biked to work 10 miles roundtrip with temperatures as low as -4F and a windchill as low as -20F. As far as I’m concerned, any of you could do the same – and I know some of you have already. All it takes is a positive attitude, an adventurous spirit and a few extra accessories. If you put the time into preparation and hype yourself up enough to pull your bike out, everything else should be a piece of cake.

My ride felt similar to any other cold winter ride I’ve experienced this winter. The biggest difference was that the air was very cold on my face, which I usually leave uncovered. I ended up pulling my scarf up to my nose and then pulling it down intermittently to breath comfortably.

Important extra accessories:

Warming packs in my mittens and boots. I never would have made it without these because my fingers and toes get extremely cold.

Safety glasses, a cheap pair I swiped from my husband’s work pile. I need these to cover my eyes, which are very sensitive and water easily.

A scarf wrapped around my face.

With those extra accessories in place, my usual winter wardrobe would have worked fine. However, I got so paranoid by the local news, I ignored my own experience and common sense and layered like crazy. I wore capeline leggings under flannel-lined khakis, a slim wool shirt under a wool sweater under a long down parka, earmuffs under a wool hat under a helmet. Too much, Dottie! No part of me was cold, which is good, but I was so hot and itchy. When I arrived at the office, sweat was rolling down my back and my hair was damp. The parka was way overkill. Lesson learned.

Overall, I consider the experience a success. I’ll never be afraid of Chicago arctic blasts again.

The ride home today was cold, a dry and bitter 15 degrees. Nothing compared to the cold expected for tomorrow morning, though. -4 to be exact. That’s -4 fahrenheit, -20 celsius.

The headline on the Chicago Tribune today:

An arctic cold blast from Siberia will barrel through the Chicago area tonight, driving temperatures below zero for the first time in a year and creating dangerous wind chills that could hit nearly 30 below.

Alright, team – who’s gonna ride their bikes with me tomorrow? :)

I’m not one for riding to prove anything, but I’m attracted to the idea of pushing the limits with the temperature. When we had an arctic blast last year, I set out to ride and gave up after less than a mile, as my hands started to hurt unbearably. I rode directly to the nearest L train stop, locked Oma up and took the train the rest of the way to work. I blogged about my defeat here.

But I learned from my mistakes and came up with a game plan to avoid that downfall tomorrow. Pretty simple, actually: lots of layers, a scarf wrapped around my face and, the piece de resistance, hand and foot warmers that I will remove from the package an hour before leaving. Maybe even two warmers per mitten. That was my biggest problem last time – I didn’t open my hand warmers until I’d already set out, not knowing that they need time to warm up. Also, I might ride Betty Foy, since the pavement is bone dry and I could go faster, thereby creating more internal heat and cutting the commute time by 5 minutes or so. I’ll have a tail wind on the way to work, at least. The ride is only 5 miles. I think this will work…

…Or not. Who knows? I may wake up in the morning and think, “forget this madness.” I’m not going to lay my reputation on it. The wind chill scares me a little bit. But there’s no shame in trying. :) Stay tuned.

As winter glides along, I continue to enjoy the beauty of the snow and the invigorating freshness of the cold air. One thing that begins to feel oppressive about the season, however, is the heft of my usual winter wear. As I wrap the same wool scarf around my neck, pull the same clomping snow boots on, and zip the same puffy vest up for the hundredth time, I heave a bitter sigh. That’s when I know it’s time to get creative.

If you’re getting tired of all the bulky accessories that go with winter cycling and are biking less because of it, please read on. A sleek and streamlined winter cycling outfit is possible, it only requires a bit more thought and care.

Legs: The trick here is simple: two pairs of tights, a thick wool pair underneath a regular opaque pair. No one will know and it’s way warmer than a pair of jeans. Then you can simply wear whatever skirt or dress you want to wear.

Feet: On top of the tights, a pair of thick wool socks. However, this alone is not enough for me, personally. Even with snow boots, my sensitive toes freeze quickly. The only solution I’ve found are toe warmers. With toe warmers, I’m free from both snow boots and freezing toes. I can wear fashionable boots for the first time since October! I get a lot of questions about the ones I’m wearing here – they’re from Nine West 5 years ago, not expensive at all.

Torso: Once again, wool saves the day. A long-sleeved thin merino wool shirt, topped with a super thick wool cowl neck sweater. Add a wool caplet and done. No coat needed. But the trick here is a seriously thick wool sweater. Invest in a good one, by which I mean dig around in thrift shops for hours until you hit the jackpot. I bought the sweater pictured a decade ago and it’s still like new. I bought the hand-knit caplet from an Etsy crafter.

Neck: Now you can leave the scarf at home – the cowl neck on the sweater can be pulled all the way up to cover the nose, if necessary. If you don’t have a cowl neck sweater, use your happiest and least itchy scarf.

Ears: A wool winter hat takes care of the ears. Earmuffs would also be a good choice.

Hands: Okay, I’m still stumped on this one, forced to wear ginormous ski mittens. I just took them off for the pictures. Like my toes, my fingers are susceptible to freezing.

The great thing about cycling is that you can actually get away with a bit less clothing, since your body will create its own heat. This get-up might not keep me warm if I were standing at a bus stop, where it always seems like I’m waiting for an eternity, but it’s perfect for my bike ride.

Of course, a lot about how I dress for winter cycling depends on how I’m feeling on a particular day. Sometimes I don’t give a care and end up in long johns and a puffy down coat. No shame in that! But when I feel the need to take it up a notch and escape the winter doldrums, I like to know that it’s possible, without leaving my bike at home.

If anyone would like to pull together a sleek winter look of their own based on this advice or show others how they’re already doing it, please send a picture and description to LGRAB [at] letsgorideabike [dot] com. I’d love to create a group round-up, similar to my recent post on winter footwear. (Hint: If you do this, you’ll be one step ahead in the LGRAB Winter Games. More details soon.)

I rode Coco to work Monday, before Tuesday’s snowfall sent me back to Oma and her studded tires. I was so giddy to have a new bike, I decided to take Coco on a spin to the lakefront during lunch with my camera and a roll of film.

I haven’t ridden Coco enough yet to provide in-depth opinions on how she performs, but I’ll offer some initial thoughts. She feels great! The ride is similar to Oma’s and nothing like Betty Foy’s. She weighs a bit less than Oma and is a bit more sprightly, but speed (or lack of it) and comfort are on pretty much par.

There are some notable differences. First, Coco’s balloon tires are super cushy and help me laugh in the face of Chicago’s potholes and train tracks (one of my biggest fears). Second, Coco has only three gears. I ended up using all three gears during my ride, depending on incline (ramps in and out of the Lakefront Trail) and wind direction, and the range felt spot on. Third, Coco’s geometry is almost straight up and down, but a tiny bit bent forward to reach the handlebars, whereas Oma’s geometry is a tiny bit leaned back with legs pushing a tiny bit forward. I thought this would make riding Coco feel substantially different after a few miles, but my body felt the same while pedaling and once I arrived at work, no more or less fatigued or energized.

I probably don’t even need to mention looks. She’s a beauty that I love to gaze at. Beauty should not be underestimated when choosing a bike. If you’re going to ride a bike every day, it should call out to you. Coco certainly accomplishes that!

Trisha’s post yesterday about the difficulty of riding in Nashville after snow has me thinking about the important role that city preparation and maintenance play in winter commuting. If streets are not cleared quickly after a storm, even a modest snowfall can ruin several bike commuting days.

Southern cities are getting more wintry weather this year than they’re equipped to handle. I heard on the news that Atlanta has 8 snow plows; in contrast, Chicago has hundreds. I assume road salt is in similarly limited supply.

Without salt and plows, Trisha has to walk her bike over large icy patches in Nashville

On top of this, Southern bicyclists are likewise less equipped to handle the weather, as there’s usually not enough snow to justify purchasing snow tires or studded tires. This results in more of Trisha’s commutes in Nashville being thwarted than mine in Chicago, despite the much greater snow totals in Chicago. You can see this happen with Bike Skirt Elisa’s commute in Alabama, too.

Meanwhile, this week in Chicago, I took one day off bicycling when the snow was actively falling on Tuesday. The next day, after 5 inches of snow, all but the small side roads had been cleared of snow and ice. Plus, to handle any surprises, I have studded tires.

Streets are reasonably clear a day after a Chicago snowstorm

Unfortunately, the bike lanes are still a complete mess, which is something the city needs to work on improving, but at least I could ride in the main lanes safely.

Unfortunately, bike lanes are mostly ignored in the snow-clearing process

Therefore, it seems like so far this winter, snow and ice have been more problematic for bicyclists in the South than in areas to the north that regularly get snow.

Of course, I have not forgotten about the crazy blizzard action going on around New York and New England. How long does it take after one foot of snow falls before roads are reasonably clear for bicycling?

And for everyone else, feel free to leave a comment stating your location and how well your city has been dealing with wintry weather this year.

The women-who-bike brunchers are an endless source of regular cycling knowledge on all topics. For example, footwear. While chatting after Sunday’s brunch, I started to notice everyone’s unique, stylish and utilitarian footwear. I get a lot of questions about my winter boots, so I thought you all would be interested in seeing the varied solutions other female Chicago cyclists have worked out.

This is but a small sampling, but goes to show that there are many ways to maintain individual style while staying warm on a bike in the winter.

About this blog

As two women who practice city cycling with style and think you can too, we started this blog to share our stories, learn more about cycling and encourage others to rediscover the fun of riding a bike. All opinions and reviews are our own, and we are not paid to provide them. Check the "About us" page for more details.